Soviets Oust Head Of Economic Agency

MOSCOW — In a continuing series of high-level personnel changes, the chief of the Soviet agency responsible for centralized economic planning was fired Monday, the state-run news media reported.

Nikolai Baibakov, 74, head of the USSR State Planning Committee, or Gosplan, was replaced by Nikolai Talyzin, 56, a deputy prime minister dealing with long-term planning among the Soviet Union`s communist trading partners.

The move was widely interpreted as yet another of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev`s assaults on entrenched members of the bureaucracy in his campaign to revitalize a stagnant economy.

Baibakov, appointed to his position in 1965, is a member of the generation tied to former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, whose final years in power are now viewed as a time of paralysis.

Most recently, Baibakov was responsible for drafting a new five-year economic plan to be formally introduced in February at the next Communist Party congress.

An early draft of the plan was rejected by Gorbachev and sent back for revision.

News of the personnel change was carried in a three-paragraph bulletin from Tass, the official news agency, and announced on the evening television news.

The presidium of the Supreme Soviet, the nation`s highest state body,

``relieved`` Baibakov of his duties ``in connection with retirement on pension,`` Tass said.

Granting Baibakov his pension is a sign that he is not held in disgrace, analysts said.

Talyzin, as new Gosplan chief, will concurrently hold the title of first deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers, an upgrade over the previous economic chief, who was only a deputy chairman. Baibakov relinquished that post as well on Monday.

Talyzin will answer to Nikolai Ryzhkov, promoted to the job of prime minister on Sept. 27 in a move regarded as indicating Gorbachev`s tightening control and emphasis on economic progress.

Ryzhkov, as head of the Soviet governmental apparatus, is responsible for implementing long-term economic plans.

According to a biography compiled by the U.S. government, Talyzin became a full member of the Communist Party`s Central Committee in 1981, one year after he was appointed the Soviet Union`s permanent representative to Comecon, the economic alliance linking communist nations.

He was born in Moscow and trained as an engineer. For the past several years, he has read the annual May 7 ``Radio Day`` speech detailing the accomplishments of Soviet telecommunications.